We are now in the final month of the year and the Norwegian Presidency has only eight more months to go. It is too early to deliver our final report, but I would like to update you on some recent developments.

Find the newsletter 4/2011 in the newsletter archive.

At the CIOR Summer Conference in Warsaw in August 2011, two new participants from the UK Military Stabilisation Support Group (MSSG) joined the CIMIC Committee.

An important contribution to NATO could be a development of a web based database in order to identify needed personnel to complete NATO‟s missions. Such a tool could help NATO to fill organisation gaps. This is one of the findings from the Defence- and Security Committee (DEFSEC) discussions at CIOR‟s Summer Congress.

Capt. (R) Micovilovich has made the following report after her third mission in Afghanistan as Project Officer. Her civilian professional skills as an architect were used in the good spirit of Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC).

The CIOR President, Capt (R) RNON Jon Erling Tenvik was Wednesday 12 October received by Admiral Jim Stavridis USN, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The meeting was arranged in order to provide an opportunity for CIOR to report on the progress on different taskings the Admiral had given to CIOR to support NATO.

I do hope you all have had a good and well-earned summer vacation. It is now a month since many of us met i Warszawa. Our Polish hosts organized everything in a splendid way. We struck a good balance between having fruitful working sessions and having time to get to know each other, discuss, exchange experiences etc. You do not need to know much yourself-as long as you know where and who to ask.

Find the newsletter 3/2011 in the newsletter archive.

The sun is shining and it seems to be a perfect day. Suddenly, a unit comes under a heavy complex attack by enemy forces – they request support from higher command. As the supporting party arrives, the scenario they encounter looks horrible.

NATO's Allied Command Transformation Chief of Public Affairs, Roy Thorvaldsen, made this report after attending the Symposium of the 64th annual Summer Congress of CIOR in Warsaw, Poland, in August.

A video message of Admiral James Stavridis (United States), Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR), stipulated the undoubted value of reservists for the Atlantic Alliance. The Admiral highlighted a key question in his address, of “how to use the Reserves effectively to support NATO´s operations around the world?” From his perspective this covers both, the operational and strategic level. The Admiral stresses clearly that “Reservists are assigned to be crucial in spreading the good message for example of Afghanistan in the capitals of the world”.

At the CIOR Summer Congress in Warsaw, Poland, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR), Admiral James Stavridis (US), sent a video message to the CIOR community.

Our first In between Meeting (IBM) this year took place in Bergen, Norway 7-9 April. We focused on the work to improve our output, based on the approved motion, and to work on the areas indicated by SACEUR in the Mid Winter Meeting in February in Brussels.

The main focus of CIOR’s Symposium will this year be on the Transition in Afghanistan and how to deal with the Piracy problem off the coast of Africa. The Cyber Warfare will also be covered by one of the speakers this year.

Major (R) Tony Fossum (NO), Assistant Secretary General / CIOR Secretary of the CIOR Presidency had the pleasure to attend the Reserve Forces Integration Course (RFIC) at NATO School in Oberammergau Germany from 27.june to 01.july 2011 together with officers of NATO rank OF2 – OF5 from ARM, BIH, BGR, CAN, DNK, DEU, FRA, HUN, ITA, SVN & USA.

At the upcoming CIOR Summer Congress in Warsaw in August, the one-day Symposium will include a session on Cyber Defence. Through different activities in the CIOR community, the organization has been able to highlight this important topic within NATO.

This is the last of a series of 5 articles from CIOR on the Comprehensive Approach, derived from the CIOR Symposium on “NATO’s Comprehensive Approach and the Role of Reservists” held on the 11th of August 2010 in Stavanger (NO).

Find the newsletter 2/2011 in the newsletter archive.

The 64th CIOR Summer Congress will be held in the capital of Poland in the beginning of August. The Congress is organized together with CIOMR and NRFC, and it is the largest activity for the organizations throughout the year. The Military Competition and the Symposium are amongst the attractions for the participants from around the world.

This is the fourth in a series of articles where the Comprehensive Approach will be addressed and elements of this new approach will be explored. The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) organized a Symposium, highlighting this subject during its 2010 Summer Congress in August in Stavanger, Norway.

NATO junior officers who have served together on CIOR committees are finding themselves serving together operationally in Afghanistan supporting the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Photo : GEN Petraeus with LCDR Cregan.

The Spanish Ministry of Defence has given a new push into the consolidation of the Spanish Reserves.

Find the newsletter 1/2011 in the newsletter archive.

During a hectic week in Washington, CIOR’s President contributed to put the spotlight on the CIOR's role towards NATO and other key institutions concerning reserve issues. The meetings included key members on three primary House Committees, which have jurisdiction over military reserve issues in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

Now that the “New Strategic Concept” adopted by the 28 Heads of State and Government of the Alliance at the Lisbon Summit on 20 November will be implemented, CIOR organized its annual Seminar around the topic “NATO’s New Strategic Concept and its Plan to Deal with a Complex World”.

Intercultural understanding and English skills are essential for a successful work within a NATO staff. These skills can be gained due to the work within the CIOR community.

At a time of continuing profound change to the security environment of the Alliance, the spectrum of missions which NATO faces is more wide-ranging and challenging than ever. Within this spectrum, the use of Reserves is a critical element of deployed forces in all environments, the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Sir John McColl, told CIOR delegated in his speech at the Mid-Winter meeting.

A few days before the Mid-Winter Meeting (MWM) in Brussels, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR), Admiral James Stavridis (US), sent a video message to the CIOR community.

The CIOR Summer Congress in Poland is taken place in August 2011, and becomes the 64th annual Summer Congress for the organization.

This is the third in a series of articles where the Comprehensive Approach will be addressed and elements of this new approach will be explored. The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) organized a Symposium, highlighting this subject during its 2010 Summer Congress in August in Stavanger, Norway.

CIOR will this winter/spring carry out a number of interesting and important events and seminars. This activities are part of CIORs strategy towards NATO, and supports its vision of "Bringing the capacities of reserves together for the best possible utilization in support of the goals in NATO's Comprehensive Approach".